THE ARMOURED CORPS
Table of Contents
DIVISIONS OF INDIAN ARMY
Armoured Corps, successor to the erstwhile cavalry, retains the elan of the horse borne warrior of old, along with that infuriatingly languid air of confidence, of never being seen as perturbed in public. This is a necessity and not a facade.
The mechanised battlefield is exceptionally demanding and requires enormous reserves of physical, mental and moral stamina to get through the ‘noise and dust’. The Armoured Corps ethos reflects professional competence and makes demands on individual soldiers far beyond those necessary in other vocations.
The Indian Armoured Corp’s operational success continues to be founded on moral strength and martial spirit, and it takes tremendous pride in the achievements of the past, seizes the demands and opportunities of the present, and focuses always on the challenges of the future. At the core lies the enduring principles of the Fire Power and Shock Action, the application of which will always have a most devastating effect on the enemy.
THE INFANTRY
DIVISIONS OF INDIAN ARMY
The least spectacular of all arms, but without which you can do nothing, nothing at all”. True to these words, Infantry has been the foremost fighting arm from the days of yore.
History is testimony to the fact that the ultimate victory in any war is decided by the Infantry. It is the infantryman who pushes the enemy out of his bunker and forces him to accept defeat; or, resolutely holds ground against the assaults of the enemy till the “last man last round”. Like all armies the world over, Infantry is the prime arm of the Indian Army.
THE GUNNERS
DIVISIONS OF INDIAN ARMY
The Gunners are a breed apart. Their professional attitude, work ethics and training regimen prepares them to face any contingency which may evolve in their flexible fire plan.
Gunners exude confidence and infuse the same among others. This ability is reflected in their motto SARVATRA, IZZAT – O – IQBAL to provide fire-power for all eventualities, where-ever required, in whichever form required.
ARMY AVIATION
Ability to observe deep into the enemy area has always been one of the quintessential pre-requisites of warfare and the 20th Century saw a major revolution in warfare when the advent of airpower added a third dimension to the battlefield on land and in sea. Building from those days, Army Aviation Corps, the youngest Corps in the Indian Army has notched up an enviable record of successes, awards and decorations. It is an amalgamation of diverse influence and traditions of the ‘Aviation’ and the ‘Army’. The motto ‘Suveg Va Sudrid’ clearly narrates the daily ongoing epic of Army Aviation’s ceaseless operational involvement across diverse terrains, in contrasting weather and climatic conditions in a variety of difficult situations. Nothing describes the omnipotence of Aviation’s reach and presence better than it’s ubiquitous round the clock application in the present day context
ARMY AIR DEFENCE
The Corps of Army Air Defence, though a nascent arm, has evolved into a highly professional and modern arm of Indian Army. The personnel of Corps of Army Air Defence perform their duty with speed and flexibility; with utmost zeal and enthusiasm.
In the contemporary battlefield characterized by versatile aircraft, flying at speed well beyond that of sound, the Air Defence men have to be capable of real time monitoring and rapid decision making, to live up to the Corps motto of AKASHE SHATRUN JAHI (Kill the Enemy in the Sky).
The Corps of Army Air Defence is always “First In and Last Out” in the gamut of operations and in addition to attacking the enemy’s critical assets, provides credible air defence cover to vital assets of strategic importance and to critical assets of field forces.
THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS
The Corps of Engineers with their motto of SARVATRA (Ubique in Latin, or ‘Everywhere’ in common parlance) are a league apart. The officers of the Corps of Engineers are armed with a degree in engineering.
The ‘Sappers’ (as the Engineers are commonly known) are adept at a wide variety of important operational tasks ranging from minefield laying and clearing, bridging, road construction, handling of explosives etc. Mobility and counter-mobility can be termed as some of the important aspects of warfare in which the Engineers play a major role.
THE CORPS OF SIGNALS
DIVISIONS OF INDIAN ARMY
The Corps of Signals is responsible to provide, deploy and leverage the strength of communication networks and ensure cyber security, both during peace and war. The vast Information Communication and Technology (ICT) infrastructure created by the Corps of Signals brings about the necessary synergy amongst various arms/ services by providing voice, video and data connectivity to units and formations thus fulfilling the motto TEEVRA CHAUKAS. They also connect soldiers deployed at far flung remote locations to their kith and kin. The Information Warriors, as they are popularly known, are more fortunate than others since they are constantly on the job, thus ensuring high state of training and morale. The importance of their role inculcates a sense of pride, confidence and sophistication that is unmatched. All said and done a Signaller’s life is worth living and dying for.
MECHANISED INFANTRY
In the Indian Context, the need to mechanise our Infantry was first felt after the 1965 war. The first tentative steps were taken in I969, when 1st MADRAS added another 1st to its cap becoming the first infantry unit to be equipped with APC TOPAZ. 1st JAT LI followed soon, and by the year 1970, ten of our finest infantry units had been equipped with an array of APCs or Chariots, namely the BTR, SKOT and TOPAZ.
The 1971 war saw some of these battalions take part in action on both fronts as part of Combat Groupings with Armoured Units for the first time. To fully realise the combat potential of this dynamic arm, the need was felt to provide these battalions with an integrated training and a common battle philosophy. The Mechanised Infantry is the youngest regiment of the Indian Army and is a unique blend of military heritage originating since 1776 and the latest state of the art equipment profile. In 1977-78 Mechanised Infantry units were equipped with BMP-1 Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs).
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